Indonesia buys French Rafale fighters in multibillion-dollar contract
Indonesia has signed a deal to buy 18 more Dassault Rafale fighter jets from France, completing a 2022 order for 42 planes. The delivery of the last batch is scheduled for early 2026. This is a great coup for the French military-industrial complex.
The acquisition began in September 2022 after Jakarta signed a contract for six Rafale jets. The second batch, consisting of 18 examples, was ordered in August 2023. It was therefore a purchase spread over time and which will involve a contract worth 8.1 billion dollars.
The cost of the operation is estimated at approximately $8.1 billion.
With the ability to carry out missions ranging from air defense to reconnaissance, the Rafale can be equipped with long-range air-to-air missiles and laser-guided bombs for interdiction and ground support.
Developing air defense in a complex context
Indonesia's recent push for more advanced airborne military capabilities comes amid tensions in Southeast Asia, with tensions with China over the South China Sea and with Australia over the New Guinea sector, however currently under check.
Last year, Jakarta announced plans to strengthen its defense line by purchasing second-hand aircraft from countries such as Qatar and Japan. Until now, the Indonesian armed forces relied on the use of 16 F 16s and around thirty Su 30s and 27 Su 27s. It had recently abandoned the purchase of Russian Su-35 fighters due to US sanctions. So Jakarta backed out of buying Qatar's Mirages due to budget constraints.
So the next choice: buy the Dassault Falcons, which will form the main component of the Indonesian air force, and upgrade the existing fighters to a superior standard.
Among the users of the French fighter in the area is India which, like Indonesia, has decided to replace Russian fighters with French ones.
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The article Indonesia buys French Rafale fighters in multibillion-dollar contract comes from Economic Scenarios .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/lindonesia-acquista-i-caccia-francesi-rafale-con-un-contratto-multimiliardario/ on Thu, 11 Jan 2024 17:18:48 +0000.